The Darkest Cherry
by demon lilith
Summary: "Sorry Sakura," Naruto said. He glanced back once and then they were gone. Without me. A Naruto story that follows the manga. Dark, strong, demon Sakura.
1. Chapter 1

"Sorry Sakura," Naruto said. He glanced back once and then they were gone. Without me.

They were on a mission to stop Danzo from becoming Hokage. They were out to make peace. They wanted to bring back Sasuke. But they had left me behind. They said I was too weak.

Naruto is there, along with Kakashi, Sai, Neji, Shikamaru, and Kiba. The strongest ninja in Konoha. But I wasn't included. They promised they'd come back alive. They promised they'd succeed. They promised they'd be fine. I don't care.

They think I'll be happy, as long as Sasuke comes back. As long as they're okay. As long as Konoha survives. So, in other words, I'll be happy as long as everyone else is. But what about me?

No one ever thinks of me. I'm just the little girl with pink hair who trained under Lady Tsunade. I'm strong enough to hold my own in battle, but apparently not strong enough to risk my life on something I believe in. I defeated the Akatsuki member Sasori with help, but apparently I can't try to help defeat Danzo's guards with the help from my friends. I'll do anything I can to help my friends, but apparently my own life should be more important. Even though the others are risking their lives. Hypocrites.

They think I'm too weak. But they don't know my power. They don't realize I defeated a village all by myself. They don't know I can heal even the most lethal wound instantly. They don't understand that I can bring the dead back to life without sacrifices. They can't comprehend that I can call forgotten spirits and ghosts to my aid. They don't realize that I could kill them.

They think I'm too nice, and I wouldn't want to hurt someone I liked as much as Sasuke. But they don't know anything about me. They don't realize I could kill them all, and almost have. They don't know that I considered following Sasuke. They don't understand he only didn't let me because he knew I hated Orochimaru even more then he did. They can't comprehend that he was my secret boyfriend, and Yakushi, Kabuto was the best friend I've ever had. They don't know me. But that's fine. I never gave them the chance.


	2. Chapter 2

My name is Sakura Haruno, and I am a demon child. I am one of three children, ever, who have the right to be called demon. Because we are. Because I am. But demons aren't like you think. Demons aren't these horrible beings that kill everyone without mercy and work for the devil. If the devil exists, I've certainly never seen him (unless, of course, Danzo is the devil, in which case I definitely don't work for him. I really hate that teme).

On the other hand, demons aren't harmless. We do kill, just not everyone. We do take a bit of pleasure in the killing, but we'll only hurt us if you attack first. Or if we really want something you won't give. Either way. Besides, I only kill for the village. I will protect the village with my immortal life. So why can't I go on the mission to protect it?

To be honest, this isn't the first time something like this has happened. I'm constantly being left behind. Everyone always assumes I'm weaker than I really am. I don't correct them. They don't need to know anyway. They can't know. Humans hate demons. It's a fact of nature. They hate us because we kill. They hate us because we are ruthless. They hate us because we can't die. They hate us because we are more intelligent than them. They don't care that we protect them.

That's right. Demons exist to protect humans. It's our duty. As long as humans remain, we've succeeded. We are what you might call guardian angles. But we're not.

I don't know if angels exist. The other two won't tell me. Their names are Sorroryia, the demon of the demon and ghost realms, and Sttuzuki, the demon of life. I am the demon of death. Together, we protect humans, and make sure they don't annihilate each other. But Sttuzuki believes that we can still help get rid of some humans, as long as we don't play a direct role in their destruction. So he secretly supports the Akatsuki, and Sorroryia supports anything that brings about chaos. After all, we are demons.



"Hey Sakura!" Ino yells.

"Hey Ino!" I yell back cheerfully. She doesn't fall for it.

"You must be really upset that they left you here while they try to get Sasuke back again." I grit my teeth in irritation.

"If they want to try and bring back a boy who no longer cares about them, then that's their issue. I hope they live. But knowing Naruto, he'll go after Sasuke no matter how close to dead he is- even though Sasuke's _my_ boyfriend." Ino nods sympathetically. I've told her everything. I didn't have a choice. She saw me feeding on a human. It wasn't like it was a crime or anything; he was about to die five seconds after I got to him from a stroke, so I saved him from extra pain. But I had to explain this to Ino, who was freaking out. So she knows about everything. Even Lilith.

"Hey Ino, Sakura!" a male's voice rings out. Choji.

"Choji!" calls Ino happily. The boy grins back happily, and then starts eating a bag of chips. If we were in some stupid anime I probably would've sweat dropped.

"Hey Sakura, you want to come to Ichiruka's with us?"

"No thanks, I need to go home now." Ino nods understandingly. Of course I don't need to go home- my parents disowned me a long time ago- but I don't eat human food. I could, but I just- _don't_. No point in eating something that has no nutritious value. I do still eat umeboshi, and anmitsu though. Those two foods are just too good to give up on.

Speaking of food, I'm getting hungry. It has been a while since I last fed, at least a week. With a destination in mind, I set off.


	3. Chapter 3

Demon- normal text

"Demon"- something voiced

"_Demon__- __"-_something thought

_**Demon-**_____something that happened in the past

___

_

I start off walking, and then jogging, then running, then sprinting, until the world around me is a blur. I could have teleported, but where's the fun in that?

I begin to slow down as I reach a small town. Ever read a vampire book? Most of the stuff is lies. The thing that's real? Almost all creatures of the night feed at small, almost empty towns in the middle of nowhere. Like this one.

I saunter into an almost empty bar. Might as well have some fun right? But I mustn't take too long. There was a fight here earlier, you could tell from the blood splattered on the beer glasses. Demons are exceptionally good at self control, but I _am_ pretty hungry. And the blood does smell really good…

The people in the bar are staring at me now, most likely wondering what someone my age is doing here. Yes, I'm sixteen. Yes, I'm female. But no, I'm not weak.

"_You're going to die here_," I think silently,_ "__a fitting ending, don't you agree__?"_

_

It's time. I've played with them long enough. It's time to feed.

I jump landing neatly behind the bar tender. He's much too tipsy to notice. "_How annoying_, _his blood will not taste very good__."_ I rip open his throat- with my nails.

Now the others are looking. Too bad it's too late. Bars of ivory began to grow over the doors and windows. Demons can do anything, remember?

Someone pulls out a gun and shoots a bullet through my arm. You could hear the screams as people stare in horror at the flesh growing back over an already healed wound. I giggle. I can't help it, this is exciting. Exhilarating. Wonderful. Perfect.

Now there is nothing left but one decision. How should the rest of these goons die?

I decide on a quick death. I've already played with them enough. So I kick one guy into another, and then stick a sword through them both. I pick up the dropped gun and shoot a hole through another guys head. One guy gets his head chopped off, one gets shredded to pieces, and the last, burned by fire from nowhere. Lightly crisped. Yum. Too bad he reeks of alcohol. I'll have to find my dinner elsewhere.

I leave the bar and head towards a random home. I open the door and peer inside. No, I can't feed here. There are children in this home. I have at least a little decency left in me. So I go on to the next house, where a young couple lives. Perfect. I enter the door.

The young man looks up at me. He invites me inside. He's really kind. Unfortunately, this changes nothing. I step inside his house and look at his wife. She's pretty. She has long, pale blond hair, pale skin, and a nice smile. Her blood smells good. I'll save her for dessert.

I turn to the husband. He looks at me expectantly.

"Thank you," I whisper, "for everything." His expression turns from one of happiness to one of confusion. Then I attack.

His wife starts screaming as I throw him into a wall. I pin him to it, so he has no chance of escape. He couldn't manage anyway, but trying would just be painful. Along those same lines of thinking, I dip my fangs into the flesh of his neck- the most convenient and easy to reach part- and tear out a chunk. This way, he'll fain sooner and won't be in as much pain.

I spit out the skin, and then suck the delicious blood, so tauntingly sweet and fresh, out of his wound. His new wife is trying to run. I send her flying into a wall with a flick of my wrist. The wall breaks upon impact, so I guess I used to much power. Oh well, what's done is done, and I'm too preoccupied with her husband to care. I force my hand through his chest for the prize, his heart, still faintly beating. Perfect. I tear it out, without actually breaking any veins. I stick my fangs in and suck. Why eat from the neck when the heart is so much better?

The blood tastes magnificent, but I know the woman's will taste superior. She's younger and in better health. Still, why not savor every drop?

Finally, the male is completely drained, and I turn to the young woman. She's woken up by now, and she's trembling like crazy. Poor thing. I'll try to end things quickly.

Laughing, I appear beside her. She screams again, but no one will hear, no one can. Not that anyone could help her anyways. It's too late for that.

I try to quickly remove her head, but she twists out of the way and punches me. It doesn't hurt, but I'm still slightly annoyed. I bend back her arm until her face is contorted in pain. Then I tear the arm out of its socket and put it over my mouth, catching the dripping blood.

I was right. It tastes marvelous.

"Monster!" She screams. I grin. Yes, yes I am. She must have noticed the smile, because her eyes widen in fear and she faints. Good, now she won't be awake when I kill her.

I consider breaking her neck, but I put her by her husband first. Now they'll be together even in death.

Satisfied, I finish her arm. Soft skin, chewy muscle, drippy veins, crunchy bone and all. It's kind of like a chicken leg, expect it's an arm, a human arm, a raw human arm, and I eat the bone too. Simply delicious.

Bored, I decide to look around. Nothing holds my interest though, except a small doll in a glass case. Without thinking, I take the doll out and cradle it. It's beautiful. She has long black hair, a small purple hat, and is wearing a pretty purple gothic Lolita. Her feet have on long purple socks and boots, and she has on lace gloves. I decide to take her with me. It doesn't look like the couple had any relatives who would actually enjoy something this precious. All the pictures show kids in sweet Lolita dresses and suits. No, I'm doing the doll a favor. The only non-proper kid I covered from head to toe in dirt.

With my decision made, I head home. Even if I can't keep the doll, Hinata will probably like it. Even if she is a little too shy, she still loves Gothic Lolitas. Yeah, I'll give it to her on her birthday next week, December 27th. She'll love it.


	4. Chapter 4

"O-oh, th-thank you!" Hinata shrieks.

"You're welcome," says Ino, smiling smugly. She's proud of her gift to Hinata, a beautiful sky blue dress with clouds and a brilliant sun. It's homemade, so she's really proud of it. I hope Hinata likes my gift too.

"Here Hinny!" I say cheerfully, handing over the wrapped doll. She carefully unwraps it and gasps in delight.

"I-it's perfect!" Hinata squeals. The other girls crowd around.

"Wow, Sakura," Tenten says in amazement, "that is really beautiful. Where did you find it?"

"Um, I think I bought it when I went to Rain Country."

"Well it was a good pick." I beam, and pretend like I'm taking glory in the fact that I brought the best present. In reality, I'm worried. I haven't seen Lie in a while, I hope she's okay. Even more importantly, I hope the people _around her_ are okay.

"Cake time!" yells Temari, and we all dash inside for the cake.

Okay, I lied. I still like sweets, too. And this cake definitely meets criteria.

Picture this: a creamy vanilla cake, batter mixed Oreos, and strawberry filler. For coverage, she has vanilla icing with, Oreo crumbs, spit strawberries, and a lovely pink icing flower, sitting on top,. Surprise, surprise: Hinata's favorite flavors are Oreo and Strawberry.

We all sing happy birthday, eat our fill of cake, and head home. As I walk around aimlessly, I decide that it's been to long since I've seen Lilith (pronounced Lie-Lith). I really need to find out where she is. What if she's found a new victim? I shiver to think of what she must be doing to them. I still remember what she did to me.

Flashback

_The first night I ever saw Lie, I was seven. It was night time. My room was pitch black, just how I like it. I was starting to fall asleep when I heard a noise. I sat up._

"_Who's there?!" I asked. I knew someone was there, because they had knocked over my toy. I'd seen them do it- wait, how could I see? I noticed that my lamp had been turned on. What?!_

_Lilith giggled in that creepy way of hers. I almost wet my bed. Almost._

"_Observant, aren't you?" She purred, "Too bad. That will make it all the more painful." She giggled again. Then I really did wet myself. I started to scream, but I was too late. Suddenly, I found myself slammed against the wall beside my bed. Lie (my nickname for Lilith) hadn't moved. She just stood there staring at me…_

_Suddenly she moved. She was behind me, in front of me, beside me…_

_Then she struck me in the chest, hard. I coughed up blood, all over my sheets. I remember thinking that I needed to clean then before mom got mad…_

_Lilith laughed again. It was almost as if she could read my mind, because she slit my arm open with her fingernail. More blood, another insane laugh. I could barely breathe through my fear. _

_Lilith leaned down, towards me._

" _You're weak, sister." I didn't know what to think. Sister?!_

_Before I could say anything, she slammed me into the wall, wall__, __ceiling, floor. As I tried to stand, she kicked me back down again. Then she knelt down beside me. She laughed, sliding her fingers through the blood. My blood, fresh and new from the place where she cut me. She held up her hand. Red slowly dripped down my arm._

_Drip…_

_Drip…_

_Drip…_

_Drip…_

_Drip…_

_I woke up the next morning and tried to sit. I failed miserably. My wounds were too fresh, I was too new to this kind of pain, she had assumed I was stronger than I really was. I was weak. I should have fought back._

_I held back tears as her words rang in my ears. Weakling…_

_Was I really weak? Obviously. I hadn't even tried to beat her. But next time, I would be stronger. I would fight back. But Lilith didn't come the next night. Or the next. Or the next week. Or the next. Or even the next month._

_Then, three months later, she attacked._

End Flashback

I sigh. I really hope Lie isn't doing something stupid. But then, is that even possible for her? Stupid Lie. Didn't she realize that if too many people knew, they might revolt? But then who would admit to actually seeing her? If they did, she'd hurt them worse. And what if someone believed them? Then Lie would hurt them too…

She'd play with them, just like she had with me, Jennie, and Kabuto. Then she'd try to break them. Make them want her to end it. Then she would. Unless they fought back. We were the lucky ones. We fought back, so we lived. But the last step, if you live, is turning you. We belong to her now. We're her toys to play with. She uses us, Kabuto to get to Orochimaru, Jennie to access her rightful home, the spirit realm, and me for my power.

Power that even she couldn't comprehend, yet she taught it to me. She trained me. Because of her, I am no longer weak. For that, I am grateful. She is forgiven for everything, because she protects us now. She protects us three minions…


	5. Chapter 5

Flashback

_The first thing that registered was the pain. It shot like bullets through my body, overwhelming my senses. I couldn't even scream, the pain was so great. Lilith laughed. Then she stuck her hand in the wound. She fished around, and then squeezed my heart. I almost fainted, but she was pumping chakra into me for the very purpose of making sure I didn't. She held me there for a minute or two, but it seemed like forever to me. I thought she was ready to kill me. All thoughts of fighting back fled from my mind. Right as I was about to die from blood loss, she let go. She healed me, and then left._

_The next night, Lilith tore my arm out of my shoulder blade. My muscles strained, tried to hold on, but snapped. _

_Hurting. _

_Burning. _

_Stinging. _

_Aching. _

_Throbbing. _

_Tingling. _

_Then numbness. _

_My arm lost all feeling. She then ripped off both my legs, and set the ground behind me on fire. I was forced to drag myself out of my room with one arm. Lilith healed me, like it was no big deal. She disappeared in flames. The fire disappeared. I was terrified of fire for years after that._

_The next night, Lilith slammed my head against the floor. Dizziness made the world spin. Some parts of my room seemed black, others red. Shapes wouldn't hold still. I felt my head going numb. I couldn't think. My vision was shaking, and then fleeting. _

_Black. _

_Darkness. _

_Oblivion. _

_The night after that, Lilith burned me. The pain was absolute. All I could feel was the pain. All I could think about was how bad it hurt. All I could smell was my burning flesh. All I could see was the smoke. All I could taste was fear, which has a horrible, bitter taste, and smoke. All I could hear was my screams. When Lilith healed me, she laughed._

_This continued for half a year. Then, the world fell apart._

_Lilith was continuing her regular routine. But she was getting bored. She didn't pay as much attention to physical torture anymore, preferring to torment me with tales of how I should be dead. She also liked to talk about Kabuto, especially how loyal he was to Orochimaru-teme._

_One day, while poking my eyes with her razorblade nails and describing how stupid Naruto was, Jennie entered the room. Jennie was my little sister. She was nice, shy, and incredibly sweet. But she wasn't strong. She could fight off most people in her age group, but she stood no chance against this monster Lilith._

"_Jennie!" I screamed, "RUN!" Lilith, of course, hated rebellion. She lifted me up with invisible arms and started choking me. As I grabbed at the wrists, she slashed open my chest. I coughed, crimson blood spraying all over the floor._

_Jennie's eyes widened. _

_To her it probably looked like I was attacking myself, because she screamed, "Sakura, stop it!" Then she noticed my feet weren't touching the ground._

_Lilith's image quivered as she became visible to Jennie._

"_NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I screamed, but it was already far too late. Lilith had found a new victim._

_Jennie flew across the hall, slamming into her own bedroom door. Screams erupted from her, so frightened, so paranoid, so broken. Was this really the first time she'd been hurt by Lie? Lie couldn't have hurt Jennie before, could she have?!_

_I flew at Lilith. She easily caught my wrist, and flipped me upside-down. I used my left hand to steady myself, and then kicked at her. She dropped my arm, caught my leg, and flung me into my door. She was too good a fighter, but she wasn't going to corrupt Jennie!_

_I ran at her again, and again, she easily deflected my blows. Why wasn't Jennie running?! Why the hell weren't our parents trying to help?! The TV couldn't be turned up that loud!_

_Lilith knocked me against the wall again, re-opening a wound she hadn't completely healed the night before. She punched my stomach, and then let me drop._

"_Jealous that I like Jennie better than you, Twinny?" _

"_Ha! You wish. Why would I be jealous over you? We all hate you here, Lie-dear. That's why you're the one dead, and I'm alive." Lilith froze. I smirked in triumph. She'd teased me enough. It was time for the tables to be reversed._

_Lilith slowly turned around._

"_You want to know why I'm the dead one Saku-chan? I was born ten minutes before you, you know. The doctors should have tried to save me. But my body was frail, and they could tell you would be even worse. We hadn't split in the embryo until the last minute, and neither of us could survive on our own. But the doctors didn't want to save me. They thought I was evil, and they were right. But the point is, they let me die. Then, when you were born, they gave you my lungs, since yours were failing. And you lived. But a part of me is in you. Twins are connected, Saku-chan. Twins can never truly be apart. So I've been watching you, waiting for years for the chance to speak to you. And now, the time has come. You can either join me, or you can die. Either way, this pathetic excuse of a baby sister goes."_

"_I'll show you weak!" I screamed, my chakra increasing drastically. Arms flew at her. They engulfed her, my chakra spewing out and burning her._

"_Hurts to be burned alive, doesn't it?!" I screamed. I was smiling. I couldn't help it. I was finally going to beat her!_

_Her flesh rotted on her skin as I tried to destroy her. Jennie screamed. It must have been a horrid sight, the way her skin kept decomposing and then becoming new again. Her healing powers were amazing, but it didn't matter._

"_You can't have been watching me too closely," I sneered, "Or you'd have noticed that I've been training with Kabuto-kun! I'm stronger now, stronger than even you!"_

_I threw my apparent twin into the wall, and snapped her neck. Her head hung there limply for a few seconds, connected to her body by only a few threads of skin, and then it healed._

"_You liar," Lilith chuckled, "you didn't even mean to do that. You were just trying to burn me, like I did to you half a year ago."_

_Damn it._

"_Still," she continued on, "it feels good, doesn't it? That kind of incredible power. Many people want it, but only people like us can have it. Incredible isn't it?" I nodded slowly. It was. What made us different?_

_Lilith grinned at me, fangs gleaming brightly._

"_We're not human."_

End Flashback


	6. Chapter 6

Sakura glanced up at the sky. It was pitch black. The moon was bright white, almost glowing. Sakura silently watched it slowly rising. Where were her friends? They were going to be in trouble soon if she couldn't help them. Sakura jumped off her roof and trotted towards the training grounds.

The moon began to shimmer, red with blood.

-

"Come on Ino, baseball's a great sport!"

"Baseball's stupid! And how will this help our training?"

"You have to have good timing to hit the ball, strength to make it go far, and speed to run/ catch the hitter."

"What a drag."

"Aw, come on Shikamaru! It'll be fun!"

"I call first baseman!"

"See, Choji, wants to play!"

"Alright, alright!"

The ninja walked to the bases and began.

-

An hour later, Sakura walked the well worn path to her home. Her aluminum bat was resting on her shoulder. She was humming take me out to the ball game. She was smiling quietly. She looked perfectly at ease.

Her eyes were closed, but she was still completely aware of her surroundings.

Three…

Two…

One…

She swung as hard as she possibly could- as she was the apprentice of Lady Tsunade, this was pretty hard. Her bat crashed into the mist nin's face, sending him flying back into his partner.

"A double!" cried Sakura in delight. Her green eyes narrowed maliciously and her smile morphed into a sneer.

She ran at the ninja, swinging her favorite weapon at their heads.

_And you thought that baseball couldn't help our ninja skills!_ Sakura silently laughed at Ino.

Sakura skillfully dodged the thrown kunai and shuriken, and charged the ninja again. They nodded, and the man with his hitai-ite around his waist made vines reach for her. Sakura weaved through them, but one grabbed her ankle, and she tripped. Vines grew all over her, and began to thicken to keep her in place.

_Guess this is a good time to try out my new jutsu,_ Sakura thought cheerfully. After struggling for a moment, she managed to bring her hands together.

Anime Jinsei no Jutsu (animation life technique)! Her bat glowed a dark bluish purple, and then rose. The man performing the vine jutsu turned around- just in time for the bat to knock him into a tree. Stars danced before his eyes. He was out for the count.

_Ha! Another perfect swing_, Sakura thought gleefully as the vine jutsu was released. Grabbing her bat, she swung around towards the other man. Unfortunately, he ducked, and then punctured her shoulder with a sword.

_Ouch… I guess that's strike one…_

Sakura bounced back up, wincing, and struck at the man as hard as she could. He blocked the blow, and they began to spare. She swung her bat downwards, and he used his sword as a shield. She'd swing it sideways; he'd duck backwards and attempt to cut off her head.

After a minute, Sakura began to gain on him. Her blows were much more powerful, and her bat was pretty heavy. The male ninja was beginning to get tired. On the other hand, his partner was getting up.

_I suppose the other team is switching out pitchers. Too bad for them, they're up to bat._

Sakura jumped away from both the ninja and expertly twirled her bat around her fingers. The ninja raced towards her, but one of them was slightly occupied. Where had he seen someone twirl a weapon like that?

Sakura dodged both men's attacks and punched the ground forcefully. A crate formed around her, and both guys fell.

_Amateurs. Strike one_, Sakura thought. Then she threw multiple senbon at then.

_This is so familiar…_ thought the cloud nin. He knew these he'd seen someone who attacked like this before. But who?

_Strike two…_

The poison senbons appeared to miss, but unfortunately for the men, there were more senbon in the shadows.

Sakura grinned widely as the men fell. She took a few seconds to stare, and watch thick, red, crimson drops of blood drip from multiple wounds. Then she ran forward. She raised her bat as high as she could as she built up power. Then she slammed it down into their stomachs. She giggled as they gasped, and watched crimson blood spray out of their mouths.

"Oh, my fun's almost over. Too bad. I guess I'll just have to drag your deaths out!"

She removed a needle from her weapons pouch and jammed it into skin. After three seconds, she pulled it out and waited, wide eyed and delighted.

After a moment, the man began to wriggle in pain. Soon he was thrashing about, screaming in agony. His skin was literally melting on him, because his blood had been affected by acid. His scream was so large that the skin around his mouth was strained. His partner watched in morbid terror; disgusted, but unable to look away.

"P-please!" he yelled, "Don't hurt me! I-I'm sorry! DON'T HURT ME!!! I'll do anything! I'll be your slave, I'll be your guard, I'll…"

After a moment, Sakura's mouth, too, was open.

"Ahahaha! HAHAHAHAAAAA! AHAAHAAHAAHAAAAAAAAA!!!" Sakura doubled over laughing, tears streaming down her face.

"Sinde shimae (Go die)!" she screeched.

Then she began to smash her now-red bat into their stomachs, this time dragging it around.

"_The human heart looks so lovely at another's expense.."_

Suddenly Sakura froze the remaining Mist Nin's eyes widened.

_Did I just say that out loud? Oh well. _She thought. It didn't really matter. He was going to die in a moment, anyway.

Apparently she had said it out loud though, because the man finally remembered who she was acted like. Yakushi, Kabuto.

Sakura smiled cruelly.

_Time to end this._

The man looked up as best as he could, just in time to get a finishing blow to the stomach. As he died he heard the kunoichi's whisper.

_Three strikes- you're out._

_And the crowd goes wild._


	7. Chapter 7

"Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I scream. My stomach twists and clenches, my vision goes blurry, and all I can hear is the echoes of the screams.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I can't think. I'm falling down, down, down, and I know that there was no one there to catch me.

_Why? Why do I keep doing this?! _My mind screamed at me.

_Why do I have to lie?! Why do I have to always lie to them?! __**They'll hate me!!!**_

_I CAN NEVER LET THEM SEE ME!!!! THEY'LL __**HATE ME!!!!!**_

_They can never… know… who I am…_

_I can only… lie to them…_

I tried; I tried so hard, to be what they needed. I tried to give Naruto something to fight for. I tried to give Sasuke someone who loved him. I tried to give Kakashi Sensei someone who wouldn't ask too much of him. And for Kabuto…

But it didn't matter; I could never be what they wanted. I could never be human.

I gasp as one last wave of terror shoots through me, and then I slump down. My breathing is uneven and harsh, and the walls refused to stop spinning. Why is my shirt wet?

Oh. I threw up on myself.

Hopelessly, I try to wipe the bile off with a tissue.

_Stupid. That will never work._

My eyes feel with tears again. Even my own mind is like her now. But I'm not like her. **I'm not like her!**

Smash! There goes my last desk. How can Shishou afford so many desks?

It's hopeless. My head hurts to bad to attempt logical thought right now. I remember Orochimaru biting Sasuke.

'_Why?' _I think,_ 'Why did you betray me, Kabuto?'_

Maybe crying really is all I'm good for. My world spins into darkness.

-

I remember how I met Kabuto. It was before Jennie met Lilith, and after I got assigned to team 7. I didn't know at the time, I thought he was normal. I just wish he wouldn't have betrayed me…

-

"_Uh-hm. Bye Sasuke-kun! Bye Naruto!" I yell, and dash towards my home, my smile melting away. I just got back from a B rank mission that lasted three whole days. That means that Jennie was alone with our parents for three days. I hope she's okay._

_I tiptoe up to her room._

"_Jennie?" I whisper. She jolts, and then her face relaxes. She must have thought that I was dad._

"_You came back early!" Her face lights up._

_I nod, "I was afraid of what they might do to you."_

"_Do they know your home yet?"_

"_No, I'll re-enter the house tomorrow. That way they won't think I came home early to see you, and they won't hurt you." Jennie nods, but she looks guilty._

"_Hey, listen up," I say as I gently shake her by the shoulders, "it's not your fault. It's their fault, not yours." I wait for her to nod, and then sigh. I have to leave now; I need to fill out a paper for Sasuke._

_After making sure Jennie's fine, I travel back to my own room. Just as I had thought, there was Lilith._

"_Go away Lie," I beg wearily, "I really can't deal with you tormenting me today. You're supposed to be dead, not haunting me! Please leave me alone."_

"_Okay," she shrugged, "That's fine. I won't hurt you tonight."_

_I eye her suspiciously. Something's wrong._

_Then she sits next to me, and leans against my shoulder. What the hell?!_

_She buries her head in the crook of my neck, and I freeze. All I can do is tremble. I can feel her fangs against my neck as she smiles. It would be so easy for her to kill me right now, with no warning. I wish she would stop, I feel horribly faint. She's my twin! Who's DEAD! _WHY CAN'T SHE JUST LEAVE ME ALONE?!

_I can feel her chuckle. It's vibrating through me, and I hate the feeling. Choked tears escape from my throat. What does she want? She straightens up and cups my chin in her hand, forcing me to look at her. I don't know what to do. I really don't know…_

_Suddenly the door opens. Lilith looks up, startled, and then disappears. I look up fearfully at my savior. It's the boy from the hospital, the one who helped fix up Jennie after the last round of abuse. Apparently he was taken in by the doctors and is now learning to be a medical ninja. Either way, he has excellent timing._

_He stares at me, and I stare back, paper forgotten._

"_I was outside you door," he says after a minute. I just stare._

"_The doctor wanted me to make sure that this wasn't an abuse case. Is it?"_

"_Who is she?" After I still don't answer, he sighs, and sits down beside me. My whole body goes rigid, but he notices his mistake and scoots away a little bit so he's not sitting where Lie was. Maybe he's not so bad, even if he was spying on me._

"_Lie."_

"_Huh?"_

"_Lie. It's short for Lilith. That's her name. You're Kabuto, right?" He smiles and nods cheerfully. I smile. I can't help it, really. No wonder he's the one they wanted to help my family, he's good at making you feel better. Too bad he'd run away, faster, faster, if he knew who's plans he just foiled._

_My eyes tear up. I don't… I don't want to be hurt… anymore…_

_Kabuto notices my pain, and leans me against his shoulder. My cheeks flame bright red. This is way too much for one night. Can't people just leave me alone already?!_

_But he doesn't seem like he's doing it hurt me. Yeah, it's a little mean, but he's probably just that kind of idiot who enjoys that kind of thing._

_Like Lilith._

_My head was starting to throb, so I sat up._

_We stared at each other. What can you say, really?_

"_I'm not being abused," I tell him. He sighs, and runs his fingers through his hair. _

"_I don't like lying to the people who adopted me."_

"_I don't like putting others in danger. She hates you, you know." I'm lying. She probably loved seeing me like that, completely helpless, in someone else's control…_

_At least now he's not thinking about Jennie and our parents._

_I shiver, but stop when I notice Kabuto looking at me worriedly. _

"_I'll be fine."_

"… _Bye, Kabuto…" He sighs and gets up._

"_Bye, I guess. But tell me if she hurts you again!" I nod. Yeah right, like he's going to learn anything else. I'm not giving Lie the satisfaction that I gave up._

-

This time, though, I really do need help, and there's only one person who I can trust.

I just hope she doesn't hate me.

Ino opens the door.

"Yeah?" Then she gasps. She noticed how awful I look.

"Ino- I need help…"

Ino stares at me. Eyes puffy and red, now-short hair tangled, bruises, bloody clothes, and bile on my shirt, I must be quite a sight.

"Sakura?!" I nod pathetically.

"Here, come inside," she says. I smile slightly. At least she's still my friend. I'm glad that I decided to tie with her in the Chuunin Exams. At least Ino-chan doesn't hate me.

-

I'm at a restaurant. I told Ino everything. She was surprised, and I'm not sure how much of it she believed, but at least we're friends again. I have an ally. I'll need one.

I flinch slightly as the door opens and all our friends pile in, and then my face melts into a perfect smile.

"Hey guys!" I yell.

Ino stares at me. I know what she's thinking. Is this really the same helpless girl she saw last night? How can I act like everything is fine?

I wish I knew.


	8. Chapter 8

Danzo is hokage. Naruto and his group are back, for the time being. And I have to act like Sakura again.

What of Hinata? She confessed her love to Naruto. Will he even notice?

I say no. Danzo is his focus. Sasuke is his focus. He's the leading role. She's just some random background character. She could be anyone. But she's not. She's Hinata, and if Naruto's not careful he'll learn just how powerful a kunoichi can be.

But he has other things on his mind.

Personally, I hate Danzo even more than he does. He's cruel, and is known for hating demons- all demons. That doesn't bode well for me. Still, I realize there are more important matters at hand. The kage meeting. Madara Uchiha. But those are still relevantly unknown!

The biggest issue, though, no one knows about. Tsunade's in a coma, touching all three realms. The demons must duke it out and decide who gets her.

I release my spirit. If anyone looks at my body, I look asleep, but it doesn't matter. Lilith hid me, and is taking over the role of Sakura. My mind is going to the only neutral area for demons, the realm where Tsunade is. She's just barely there, as her spirit struggles to wake up, but is being pulled toward death. We demons will decide what happens to her.

"My realm needs her the most," stated Sttuzuki calmly, "And she will benefit you, too, Sakura. She was your only ally in the Hidden Leaf Village."

I nod, but remind him, "You said part of your plan was Danzo becoming the sixth hokage."

He nods, and, "I believe that Sorroryia's realm would be best. She's not biased, unlike you, Sakura, and technically she'd still be alive…"

"You're not turning my sensei into a member of the living dead!" I yell, fuming. I hate meetings with them, they always side with each other, and I'm always left to defend myself. I wish Lilith was here, then I'd stand a chance, but I doubt it will happen.

"You'd rather Tsunade be dead than be a vampire or wanderer?" Sttuzuki raises an eyebrow. I nod.

"She'll be less confused, and my ghosts can come back too, you know."

We both look at Sorroryia.

"Very well," she sighs, "I was looking forward to a new friend for Mitzkaya, but I guess not."

We all left after that. Sorroryia and Sttuzuki may not mind each other, but I can't spend another moment with those two.

I jolt up to see Naruto saying how now he understands Sasuke's pain.

No, you don't, Naruto. You won't understand until you've already lost to the person you swore revenge on. Pain asked you to kill him. He used to be on the good side, and believed he was doing it for good. You understand Naruto, no more than half of it. I hope that's all you ever understand. I desperately hope you never understand revenge.

To get revenge, you must become the one you hate.

-

Permission to kill Sasuke as a Missing Nin has been given, by Danzo of course.

Kakashi told Naruto and I not to do anything rash. Naruto promised he wouldn't attack Danzo, just talk.

_Just talk! I'm gonna tear off his skin and hang him with it! _Lilith seethed. For once, I wholeheartedly agree with her.

But another surprise came. Apparently Sasuke's now a member of Akatsuki, according to two ninja from Kumogakure. I don't know what to think. Everything's going too fast. I really don't know what's going on anymore.

I have to talk to Sasuke.

I'll need to get him before he goes to the kage meeting to attack, otherwise he won't listen to me. In other words, I need to go now, and hope no one notices.

I hope Lilith is up for playing Sakura a little longer.

-

"Sasuke?" I ask nervously.

He looks up at me calmly. He's not calm. His aura suggests he's ready to kill someone. I sigh. This could be annoying.

"Don't do it," I warn him.

"I have to!" he seethes, "they killed my family! Danzo must die."

I hold back a groan. I knew this was going to happen!

"Sasuke, my family's dead or non-connected to me too. I was disowned by the people that killed my sister, remember? And I hate Danzo too. But the kage meeting is NOT the time to attack. Do you have any idea how many other kages are there? No offense, but they'll flatten you like a pancake."

Sasuke glares at me. He never did like my blunt way of putting things… oh well, his loss. It will be a problem if he dies, and I'll miss him, I guess, but it really would do the world a favor.

"Sasuke, they really will kill you. Besides, how do you know it was really Danzo's fault?"

"It wasn't Itachi's" Sasuke rebuttals.

"Wait, what?" this is news to me. What does he mean it's not Itachi's fault?

"You'll never understand, Sakura," Sasuke says, anger leaking into his voice.

"You're right," a voice calmly states, "she won't."

Kabuto walks out from behind a tree and looks at us both, grinning lazily.

"She won't, because your situations are opposites. Sasuke, all you wanted, when you were younger, was your parent's approval. You wanted someone to say, 'yes, you're right.' All Sakura-chan wanted, and still wants if I'm not mistaken, was for someone to tell her no. She wanted someone to set the limits, because it would have meant they cared about her. No one ever did. So you'll never be able to understand each other. Knowing you two, you won't even bother to try."

"What do you want, Kabuto," Sasuke asks through gritted teeth, probably hating how smug Kabuto sounded. Kabuto, in true Kabuto fashion, just smirks at him.

I grin tiredly. At least it looks like Kabuto beat Orochimaru. I can't sense his presence, Kabuto's obviously still in there, and if he was having trouble staying in control, he'd ask me for help.

I hope.

Why are my friends always the stubborn bastard type ones?

I realize Kabuto and Sasuke are staring at me.

"What?"

"You do realize that you were zoned out for over a minute?"

And he's supposed to be my best friend?

"Yeah yeah yeah. You're the one who should be worried. What the hell do you plan on doing now?"

"I have to have a plan? Um, I don't know. Maybe I'll just stalk Team Hebi and either help them out or utterly ruin them."

Sasuke glares at Kabuto, who smiles slyly back.

"If you two try to kill each other, I'll kill you both."

Sasuke glares. Kabuto chuckles infuriatingly. My fists clench.

I'm about to retort, when I hear someone coming. Kabuto and I quickly disappear into the trees as a red haired girl enters the grove.

"Karin," whispers Kabuto in annoyance.

"Sasuke-kun," she whines, "Suigetsu scattered all of our fire wood and supplies, and ate our dinner."

Sasuke grits his teeth in annoyance.

"I'm coming," he sighs, looking like he'd rather fight the Kyuubi alone. I can feel my mouth curl up into a nasty smirk. Sasuke doesn't like this useless human. Good.


	9. Chapter 9

"So," says Kabuto casually, "what do you plan on doing about the Kage meeting?"

I sigh, "Honestly, I have no earthly idea. The other two want Danzo as hokage, so I can't stop him. Sasuke… well, he's Sasuke. I'm not against him, but I see no reason to destroy my hard earned disguise to help him out either." Kabuto nods thoughtfully.At least he's not laughing at me, or belittling my all-too-real problems, like Sasuke would.

"Maybe I can help," he finally smirks. I wince.

"Don't kill Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, Sai, Ino, or anyone else like that. Actually, scratch that. Kakashi is all yours. He never gives me enough credit, and at least dying from you will be dying for Konoha."

"And Sai?"

I smile.

"If you were to dissect him, you would find a seal near middle of his lungs."

Kabuto's look is one of pure aw and respect.

"Danzo didn't notice you putting a seal on his puppet?"

I shake my head cheerfully. Sai is completely under my control.

"You didn't think he would really change that quickly, did you?"

"I suppose not. Congratulations, that's pretty good."

"Of course."

One of the many things I like about Kabuto is that he never condemns me for my actions. Of course, that's probably because he's done worse, or at least something similar, but still. He's pretty fun to have around.

But I really do need a plan for the Kage meeting.

"Okay," I sigh, "This is what we're gonna do…"

"_We're_?" Kabuto interrupts.

"Yes, _we're_," I glare, "you know, as in _both of us_?"

"Fine, but I refuse to show myself."

"No dur, everyone still thinks Orochimaru is controlling you."

"Yeah, so? Now what's your plan already?!"

"Well…"

-

Kabuto and I silently trail behind Team Taka. Our chakra is masked, our breathing is even and controlled, and genjutsu hides where we are. We should be safe.

Zetsu is leading the group, completely unaware of us two stragglers. If he did, we'd be fighting right now. Poor Kabuto, no one likes him.

I sneer. This, despite the danger to Sasuke's team, shall be incredibly fun.

We watch in silence as the meeting begins. I smile slightly at Gaara, but try to soak in what is being said about Akatsuki, and how it might relate to the demons. I don't know if Sttuzuki wants Danzo alive, or wants Sasuke to be the one to kill him. What about Madara? Do they want the ten tails? What about Naruto?

I don't understand their plan yet, but I will make sure it won't damage the humans too much. Of course, the humans seem to be doing a fine job of that themselves. Using Akatsuki. Using tailed beasts. Not cooperating, or even trying to work together. Caring more about wars than lives. It's a wonder their species exists at all.

This isn't going well. Back with my clone, Sai spilled the beans about Naruto getting beat up… and worse. The orders have been given that Sasuke is to be killed on sight. Here, Danzo has been elected to lead the alliance. Something is horribly wrong.

I motion for Kabuto to pull back.

"So what do we do?"

"I don't know. You're older; you come up with a plan!"

"…"

"… fine. Um, okay. When we originally came here, we didn't count on the order for Sasuke to be killed on sight, not yet at least, and we didn't count on the Danzo being elected leader for the Five Kage Alliance. Someone isn't playing fair, and that's screwing with what we need to do."

"So, what's the new plan?"

"Um…" I chew on my bottom lip. I really don't know what to do.

"Play it by ear?"

"Okay," Kabuto says, leaning back against a tree. I'm getting the feeling that he really couldn't care less about the outcome of this. Moron. If it affects the whole world, it really will come back to haunt him if this goes wrong. Won't that be fun to watch!

"Woah!" he exclaims as the ground shakes. We both shoot off towards the source of the explosion.

Sasuke's been found and, like the hothead he is, is rushing into battle. The other team is calling for backup while they hold him away from the Raikage. Kabuto-kun and I have to be extra careful now, they have a sensor looking for Karin; they'd be all too pleased to find Orochimaru's lackey and a demon brat along with him.

Kabuto and I dart away again. Sasuke can handle it. He's stronger than these people give him credit for, and his team is not so weak either. Kabuto and I can do more keeping our eyes on Danzo. Still…

"We should split up."

"Do you want me to watch Sasuke?"

"No. Keep an eye on Naruto. He and Kakashi will be important."

"Don't you have your little puppet on them?"

I shake my head, "They might split up too. It's better to be safe than sorry."

Kabuto nods and leaves. Now I'm alone again. Good. Now my more immoral demon techniques can be used.

"を見つけます 捕まえる 破壊! **Hiroimono Hikite**Hakai no jutsu! (Locate, catch, destroy technique!)" I whisper, forming the seals Boar, Rat, Dragon, Ram, and Tiger. For a moment, my chakra just hovers. Then it flies outward and settles on the members of the Kage meeting. By reforming the seal sequence, I can now destroy any of the members at will. There's no way to deactivate the jutsu without killing me, and demons can't die. Of course, now I can't use any jutsus until I release this one, but…

I settle down to watch.

-

"Madara Uchiha showed up," Lilith says, appearing beside me, "had some sorta conversation about his goals with Naruto. He's using Sasuke, but we already knew that." I nod. We did already know that, and so does Sasuke. He's just too stubborn to act on it. Moron.

We both glance into the room in time to see Sasuke arrive. I put my head in my hands. I can't watch. My God, does that kid of an ounce of self preservation? Doesn't he care how absolutely stupid he looks. Oh God, he's gonna die!

"Calm down Twinny," says Lilith in exasperation, "he'll be fine. Have some faith in the kid, will ya?" I watch silently as the Mizukage and Sasuke fight, and then enter some closed room. Well, Sasuke will win. I know he'll win. Still, he really is being an idiot! I swear. Still, he'll live. He's strong.

It helps that Zetsu's using his Hoshi no Jutsu. I take that back. Sasuke's no dumber than the rest of humanity.


	10. Chapter 10

I stare. Did Sasuke… did he just…

"Karin?" I whisper. Kabuto's face holds shock. We hadn't realized just how far Sasuke had fallen.

"Karin?" I whisper again. I can't believe this. Sasuke just attacked Karin to kill Danzo. Yes, I've killed many, many people before. Yes, I hate Karin with everything in me. Yes, I respect Sasuke's goals. But couldn't he have aimed for Danzo's brain? Then he wouldn't have had to hurt Karin. And she's his teammate, isn't she? If I was of the mindset to kill humans when I was done with them, no matter how close to me there were, he'd be dead.

I feel anger clench up inside me. A small voice in my head is laughing quietly. She's knows what's going on. She knows that it's been weeks since the demon in me decided to show itself. But right now, the demon is there. Directly beneath my skin is chakra. It's ready to fight, waiting to be released. Anger is its trigger. Like the curse mark, but even more deadly. I alone control it. There are no seals, no blocks anyone can put on me. It affects every part of me, my demon. My mind is already separating into different parts. Each voice sneering and laughing. So much for integration. My other personalities are back, broken by the hatred, and they're ready to kill.

"Hey calm down, Saku," Kabuto whispers. I relax, but only enough that my demon stops whispering to kill Sasuke, kill Madara, kill Karin, and when Kakashi and Naruto arrive, kill them too. Especially Sai. He served his purpose well enough, but Kakashi wanted him to keep 'me' from reaching Sasuke, and so I had to make him appear to try and stop 'me.' I hate this. Someone needs to die, and tip the balance in my favor again. No more of these stupid lies. For a moment distraction builds up. Should I pretend to die? But it's too risky. I still have a job to complete.

"I'm fine, Kabuto," I whisper back in annoyance. He masks the hurt well enough, but it only irritates me farther. No one is doing what they're supposed to. At least Naruto will soon come this way. He was predictable enough, at least. But Sasuke…

"Kabuto, can you go see what's going on with Kiba and Lee? I left them knocked out and want to make sure they're okay." He just looks at me like I'm insane.

"Sakura, do you really think I give a shit about your friends? Sorry, but if they die, they die. They were the ones dumb enough to turn their backs on you seconds after you tried to knock them out with sleeping powder. Besides, I'm not leaving you alone with that piece of Uchiha garbage and a mad man."

"The mad man just left. Go," I hiss. It's hopeless though. Kabuto is either too stupid or too indifferent to listen. He doesn't care if he dies now. And besides, he never really liked Sasuke.

"I'm not going to kill him," I sigh. Kabuto just smirks.

"No, but I just might." I glare at him.

"No you will not! Sasuke is mine. No one kills him but me or Naruto, if the time comes." Kabuto shrugs. This really means nothing to him. That kid is an idiot.

Karin is just lying there, thinking. Her breathing looks labored. Sasuke could actually kill her. This is absolutely ridiculous. My clone is almost here. Then things will get interesting.

Sakura the clone walks out o f the bushes. Sasuke glances up, his face becoming confused. It's back to hatred before you can blink. Before a human can blink. But I see it all. Didn't expect me to show up, did you Sasuke-_kun_? Yes, the girl in front of you is a clone. But don't expect any favors.

"What do you want with me?" He asks coldly. His eyes are just barely shifting, darting about in paranoia. Little boy, if I wished to kill you you'd be dead. No, I'll allow Naruto the honor. Or maybe Kakashi, but I doubt he can win.

"You won't gain anything by following me. What are you plotting?" Me, plotting something? What a laugh. Someone needs to tell this boy that I don't plot, I act.

"If you kill her, you can come with me," he says gesturing to Karin. Ah, yes. To prove my loyalty, I assume? Sasuke, you've just lost any respect for you I might have clung to. You will be receiving no more help from me, I can assure you that much.

Oh dear. Attacking me? You can play the part all you want Sasuke. I leave no witnesses. It's too costly, you see. Besides, you know I hate lawyers.

Then Kakashi comes.

"Sakura… were you going to kill Sasuke on your own?" So what if I was?

"There's no need for you to take that burden on yourself. …As the leader of team 7, it's my fault that this has happened. Sakura… I said things I shouldn't have to try and reassure you. Maybe I was just trying to reassure myself."

Of course, my mind sneers, big old Sensei Kakashi has to come save the poor damsel in distress. I hate fairytales. Even Sasuke is playing his villain part right. Why, he's even got an evil laugh!

"Sakura… heal her until she's able to talk. There's still time. She knows… a lot about the enemy. Sakura… take her with you and get out of her. I will take the burden off you. It's my duty. Go on, hurry."

Banish me to the kitchen, why don't you. The ruling deity here is sexist.

But I leave like a good little Konoha puppet.

"Kabuto, heal her," I demand. He just grins.

"Finally see what a bastard Sasuke is?"

"Yes. Now heal Karin or I'll kill all of you." That earns me a nasty glare, but I don't give a shit. What to do, what to do. Keeping within Sttuzuki's limits is proving to be more trouble than it's worth.

Maybe it's time to cheat.


	11. Chapter 11

"Why have you summoned me?" I ask tensely. Sorroryia gives me a sort of half smile.

"We have decided to allow Tsunade to live again," Sttuzuki informs me. My eyes widen. I don't know what to think. Well, when in doubt, ask.

"Why?"

"Suspicious as always, I see," Sttuzuki chuckles, "Danzo served his purpose. Sasuke is as hateful as he will ever become. He has taken Itachi's eyes, you know."

"How does that help you?" I receive nothing but an infuriating smile. Since I'm extremely young for a demon, I tend to be left out of plans such as these. It doesn't help that I actually know the humans whose lives this is going to destroy. I sigh.

"Alright," I find myself saying. The older demons nod, and I transport back to Konoha to tell Naruto the good news.

But. There is _always_ a but. I'm glad Tsunade is back, because there is a matter on which I need her advice.

"I think I will leave the village," I say. Tsunade and Shizune look up at me, startled.

"Why?" asks Tsunade. I hesitate, but she needs to know.

"I promised you that I would not hurt the village while you were hokage. That still holds true, but I can no longer support it. Despite the village's good intentions, I can no longer put up with the humans. I have been ignored and passed off as week too many times for my liking." I put up my hand to silence my teacher.

"If that were all, you know that I would be offended but would not cause any trouble. But the demons are rising, and I think it's about time that I take my place as one of them. How long will it be before they reveal me? Besides, I would like to have a strong voice on the demon council, and I need to be there to do that. To be completely honest, if I remained here I do not know which side I would fight for." Shizune's eyes narrow.

"What other side would you fight for? Sasuke has wronged at least as much as this village which shelters many innocents. And Kabuto merged with Orochimaru!" I smile lazily. Both women's eyes widen.

"Kabuto is on your side still?" asks Tsunade cautiously. I nod, enjoying the terror on their faces. They're so weak, so uncertain. They're not used to me acting like this, but it really is quite logical. The demon in me has been awakened, and it's only natural that she should want blood. After all, demons live forever. To keep occupied, we watch humans destroy themselves. We are quite sadistic, really. Humans are nothing but playthings to many of us. I like to think of myself as smarter than to underestimate them, but I will admit that humans are highly amusing.

"Do you really wish to reveal yourself now?" I snicker, causing Tsunade to stiffen. She's trying to mimic my way of speech, but failing. It just doesn't sound right coming from sensei, who taught me some of my more explicit swears. But I guess I should answer her question, even if it is ridiculous.

"Of course not. I've waited so long; I can wait a bit longer. But I will tell you this; I will reveal myself when I see fit to. It will come as a surprise. It will benefit me and only me. And I will draw as much attention to myself as I can whilst doing so. Am I understood?" Shizune nods. Tsunade sighs.

"Does anyone else know?"

"Kabuto, of course. Sasuke knows that I no longer support him. Kakashi and Naruto know I will no longer interfere, though they think it is because I am weak."

"Alright Sakura, please, do as you wish. Thank you for your help so far." I nod and start to leave. My back is to them and I'm almost out the door.

"Thank you, Sensei." Then I disappear.

I can barely contain my laughter. Kabuto just stares at me in amusement, waiting for me to calm down.

"God, you think they'd have figured it out by now! I'm just screwing with them. If I wanted a Sasuke to be good again, I could easily make him so. If I wanted the Kyuubi to be captured, it'd be captured. If I wanted Madara to be dead, Madara would be dead. But speaking of Madara, he's just screwing with everyone too! Seriously, the Moon's Eye plan? _Seriously?!_"

"If I may ask, _why_ do immortals seem let these battles run on for so long? I mean, I know you told me you don't know what's going on, but I for one call bullshit." I grin lazily. Remember what I told you just a little while ago, about being left out of the plans? I lied.

"Demons live forever," I remind him, "life gets really boring if everything's happy and perfect. So, we set up our wars, let lose a parasite, remove a valuable resource, and watch the resulting chaos. We don't care about life, not really. This whole thing is like one big game to us. Of course, it's even more fun to choose a side and pretend to help.

"That doesn't mean that we don't care at all though. Some of us get attached to certain humans, like how Lilith and I hang out with you because you're a sadomasochistic psychopath, and how we mess with Sasuke because he's gullible as Hell. It's funny. It's entertaining. It gets rid of our boredom, and we enjoy playing the chess master. Does it make sense?" Kabuto nods, and then smirks.

"Is that why I've had such amazing luck lately?"

"Of course! You didn't think everything is just naturally working out in your favor, did you?"

"No, but it's nice to imagine; actually, knowing demons are behind me is even better. Thanks." I roll my eyes. For a menace to all ninja, Kabuto's too nice- when he's not killing, torturing, or manipulating people, of course.

I'm not going to wait to make my move. Naruto has been banished to a remote island in Kumogakure along with Killerbee and Yamato. I think I should watch them, see how to manipulate Naruto best. He believes that Killerbee will help him train to control the Kyuubi, so maybe I should keep an eye on that too.

Killerbee refuses to help Naruto. Maybe he doesn't like Naruto, maybe he's just prejudiced; either way, no one is going to try and convince him to do otherwise. Naruto is going to some waterfall now. Apparently it shows who your true self is? I watch as Naruto sits down. His mind seems to leave him, and Yamato is told he is now inside himself. Suddenly Naruto wakes up, leaping backwards. He's talking about an evil side now, another him with who he is perfectly matched. He must defeat it to control the Kyuubi.

But now everyone is just talking, and my curiosity is getting the best of me. No one is looking at the waterfall anymore. I crawl behind it, into a small cavern. This way, even if they do glance in my direction, I will be sheltered. I sit down in the water and wait to see who the true me is.


	12. Chapter 12

I'm in some weird room with circles and headless statues everywhere. I look around in amazement, and then sit down in the waterfall.

There's a girl in front of me, staring at me. I stare back. Neither of us move. But finally, the other me laughs quietly.

"You were stupid enough to try and find the 'real' you?" she asks in amusement.

"How useless. There isn't one of us, you know. We're not like Naruto, where you can just get rid of hatred and then be fine, be whole. Oh no, we'll never be whole." I stare. I don't know what she's talking about, but I don't really trust her. How terrible. I can't even trust myself, it seems.

As if she knows what I'm thinking, she laughs again roughly.

"We're fractured, Sakura. Do you consider yourself to be the other Sakura, the one Naruto knows?"

"…No…"

"Well, you aren't. And I'm not you.

"Monster," she says, grinning easily and holding at a hand. This is too weird. Maybe the waterfall really just causes hallucinations. It would explain a lot…

"Did you think being abused carried no consequences?" she asks, seemingly unbothered by my lack of trust, "You have multiple personality disorder. You aren't the same as others. You really are broken."

I bristle. Don't listen to her, I tell myself. There's nothing wrong with having other personalities. But her eyes are shining and she looks, for the life of her, like Orochimaru. Only, she's really me…

"How many others are there?" I ask. I sound brave. I am brave. I am.

"Just me and Haruno," she answers, "there was another, Baby. She was you. She was the original, did you know? You're just her clone." She's trying to psyche me. It's not working. I'm brave. I'm fine. I can handle this.

"She came first," Monster smiles cruelly, "she came first, but she couldn't keep going. The abuse destroyed her. The pressure destroyed her. She couldn't fit in. She couldn't defend herself. She couldn't be who she was… Haruno fits in. She acts like they expect her to. I defend us. When you two are weak, I kill our enemies. You are Baby. You've grown up, but you had no childhood. You didn't live through much of the abuse. Because of that, you have sympathy and empathy. I did. I defended her during the abuse. I don't care. If someone hurts you…

"I'll kill them." Her teeth are sharper than mine, I realize. Her hair is shorter. Her aura is…

It's cold in here. Very cold. And wet. Of course it's wet, we're in a waterfall. Silly me…

She's watching me. I shiver. Because it's cold. It's cold. And wet. Of course it's wet. Of course…

I look away. What if the others come back? But no. They were talking about the Bee. It was boring, actually. Nothing of interest to me. Or Monster, apparently. I gulp.

"What do you want?" She grins.

"Now you're talking." Her face turns serious.

"Kill Sasuke. Defeat Naruto. Betray the Leaf. I don't care how long it takes. Destroy Akatsuki. Madara does not want to hypnotize the world through the moon. He's smarter than that. He just wants the ten tales. So do I. You're going to get it. You're going to join the demons. You're going to stop standing on the sidelines. We have strength. We have power. We have intelligence. Why do you insist on taking such a background role?"

She is like Orochimaru, in a way. I'm quite disturbed. How could this…_ thing _be a part of me?

"Take your time," she sneers, "I have all the time in the world…"

I listen to what Naruto is talking about. Why don't they just tell him how to defeat his other half? Monster said I couldn't defeat her like that. What do I need, a therapist? I hate therapists. If you add a space, therapist becomes the rapist. There has to be another way.

This was all ridiculous, anyway. I do not have other personalities! I know my parents were abusive, but they hurt Jennie, not me! I don't remember…

Other personalities form during abuse. The painful memory of abuse from a guardian is locked away. The child starts dissociating during the abuse, splitting from their body. What if they still needed to function while dissociated? They'd control the body while split. The control might start to seem to be someone else's doing. A new personality might take over during the dissociation…

I can't remember much of my childhood. So much I do I don't understand why, I don't feel like I'm doing it. Those are both traits of Multiple Personality Disorder. What else is? What am I forgetting?

I glance at Monster.

"You're not the same age as me!" I say suddenly. She shakes her head.

"You're what, sixteen, right? I'm eighteen. I was created when Baby was four, but I was already ten. I stopped growing at eighteen, I might be this age for a while."

F*ck this. F*ck being brave. I can't handle this right now, I can't.

"I'm also gay," she snickers, "and I enjoy killing people Haruno has a crush on."

I try to take this in. I really do. But the waterfall is beginning to blur. I feel dizzy. I'm on my knees, my jeans getting soaked. My throat burns and then I'm throwing up. The world is getting darker. I

Think that

I'm fai

Ntin

g.

I wake up alone. I'm on in the forest right next to the waterfall. My head hurts and my mouth tastes terrible and feels like cotton. I want to drink the water, but I don't want another hallucination. All I remember of the first one was some girl.

How did I get here? It doesn't really matter. I probably woke up long enough to walk here and then fainted again. What time is it? I'm hungry. Where's Naruto?

Fighting a giant squid. Of course. I sigh. I really need off this island, but I'm not leaving Naruto alone with Bee and Yamato.

As I watch, Naruto enters the waterfall again, this time with Bee's blessing.

And practically makes his other self go gay for him.

Definitely not the road I want to take with Monster.

Naruto and Bee go behind the waterfall and I follow.

In the back of my mind, I can swear I hear a girl laughing…


	13. Chapter 13

Naruto has beaten the Kyuubi. Good for him. Bad for me. Will my teammates never stop trying to one-up the other? I sigh. No, of course they won't. Idiots.

Apparently, now Naruto is even stronger, even faster, even more sensitive, blah, blah, blah. Oh look, he can sense Kisame. Oh look, he's fighting Kisame. Oh look, Kisame is… fighting… Gai?

Maybe this will be interesting after all!

Gai thinks Kisame is a blowfish. A blowfish! This is better than a movie!

Chuckling I follow close behind Gai. Unlike him, I don't need a boost. Sometimes it's nice being a demon…

Gai opens the seventh gate and is rapidly using up chakra. I frown. So foolish…

Sitting down to watch the battle, I let my mind wander…

'_**You're not real!' a little girl screams, tears running down her face. SHE grins.**_

'_**I am just as real as YOU are, my dear.' Her smile is almost kind, stolen from some poor teacher. The little girl shivers.**_

'_**Y-you're... not r-real,' she whimpers. SHE sighs, turns, and disappears into the night.**_

Kisame is captured.

_**The little girl screams. Blood. Blood is everywhere. Soaking into the ground, her clothes, her hair… HER.**_

_**Her friend, her only friend, is laying there, dead. Her head has rolled off to the side. Her heart is off to the side there, connected by a thin thread of veins. Her eyes are staring ahead, blank. Her dress, her pretty new dress, her daddy just bought it for her… it's red now. It's stained. It doesn't matter. She can never wear it again.**_

_**The little girl is crying. She's sobbing so hard she can barely breathe.**_

'_**Y-you! You did this to her! Why?'**_

'_**Me?' SHE asks in amusement, 'I did nothing. YOU did this, hun.'**_

'_**I-I did not! YOU did this! YOU KILLED HER!'**_

'_**But **_

_**I'm **_

_**not **_

_**REAL.'**_

They can't tap into his mind.

_**The girl is in a dark room, a small, dark room; a closet, maybe? She's beating against the door with her hands. It's hopeless. She's scratched so hard she has splinters under her nails, and she barely has enough air to breathe. She puts her face down to the vent, trying to breathe shallowly. She can't stop the tears from betraying her, though the dark mostly hides them. Only a thin line of light shines in from under the door.**_

_**SHE waits behind her, leaning causally against the wall, looking unconcerned. After a while, the silence, broken only by sobs, seems to get to HER. Annoyed, SHE starts up a conversation.**_

'_**Guess you failed again, huh? You're locked in here, no way out, and Jennie is still going to be beaten.'**_

'_**Sh-shut up! Just sh-shut…'**_

'_**Up?'**_

'…'

'_**You do realize I'm real, right?'**_

'_**I could just be crazy,' the little girl says glumly. SHE laughs hoarsely.**_

'_**You're not. Trust me, babe, I've seen crazy, and you're not it.'**_

'… _**Why do you always do that? Call me babe, or hun, or sweetie, or whatever else it is you call me?'**_

'_**Why not? I'm not here to wreck your life, you know.'**_

'_**Could've fooled me…'**_

He knows he's going to die, but he wants to do it on his terms. In one last moment of glory, Kisame commits suicide to avoid leaking information. My foolish teammate and his comrades have fallen prey to a trap, and, stuck in the water prison jutsu, are being rolled towards the ocean. I step forward, ready to help.

'_**I want to help you. I can't do that if you keep denying me.'**_

'_**Help?'**_

'_**Yes, help. But you have to stop pretending that you can stop me. Stop pretending that you're strong enough to survive on your own.'**_

'_**You- you'll help? You promise?'**_

'_**I promise.'**_

'_**You'll help me? You'll never leave me?'**_

'_**I promise.'**_

'_**You are real, aren't you? I would have said no…'**_

An arm is blocking my path, restraining me.

'Don't,' SHE whispers.

_**I know the little girl's name now.**_

Sakura.


End file.
